Home workshop collective group

[tbirkey214]

Sometimes I have lots of posts and sometimes nothing for a while. Right now, im posting quite a bit becaue im im between jobs and am doing lots of projects. Problem is is that I dont have everything I need and I need to outsource tools and work to compete projects. Im spending alot of money outsourcing work, so I figured maybe I should start a group in my city Dallas,TX for guys with home workshops to trade services, let eachother borrow tools (at the owners house), and a general way to let guys help eachother and have something to do.

I have some industrial machinery I wouldnt mind letting other guys use to help them with their project, and I would love to be able to borrow stuff( such as me needing someone with a 2" tube die for 2 bends) to finish projects. We can support eachother without going broke.

Im looking for suggestions on this concept...

Should I create a text group and add people i to it?
How to spread the word?
Help with a catchy name that emphasizes guys who build stuff at home, tinkerers, and guys who maybe dont build alot of stuff but need couple cuts on the saw for a quick project?

ANY IDEAS APPRECIATED, looking to get something going ASAP

 

[Renegade1LI]

There's probably a woodworking cooperative nearby if you google it.

 

[CMB41]

Sometimes I have lots of posts and sometimes nothing for a while. Right now, im posting quite a bit becaue im im between jobs and am doing lots of projects. Problem is is that I dont have everything I need and I need to outsource tools and work to compete projects. Im spending alot of money outsourcing work, so I figured maybe I should start a group in my city Dallas,TX for guys with home workshops to trade services, let eachother borrow tools (at the owners house), and a general way to let guys help eachother and have something to do.

I have some industrial machinery I wouldnt mind letting other guys use to help them with their project, and I would love to be able to borrow stuff( such as me needing someone with a 2" tube die for 2 bends) to finish projects. We can support eachother without going broke.

Im looking for suggestions on this concept...

Should I create a text group and add people i to it?
How to spread the word?
Help with a catchy name that emphasizes guys who build stuff at home, tinkerers, and guys who maybe dont build alot of stuff but need couple cuts on the saw for a quick project?

ANY IDEAS APPRECIATED, looking to get something going ASAP

This is in Carrollton

Dallas Makerspace – A Community Workshop

dallasmakerspace.org

$72/month. You do not have to pay annual. I would poke around there to see if you can find the proper help/equipment before joining. No need to reinvent the wheel so to speak . I'm way over here on the leftist Coast so no help to you I'm afraid. Good luck!

 

[mike93lx]

I bet if you priced out the insurance you should have for this, the idea would die off and you'd buy the tubing bender instead.

Unless you want to invite people into your home for free to use tools and hope that your homeowners carrier covers you.

 

[Stuart in MN]

There's an organization called Men In Sheds. It was started to get men to develop friendships with like minded others (men often don't maintain friends and become isolated). The basic premise they get together and tinker on stuff out in the shed (or garage or basement or whatever). They have chapters all over the country. What you're proposing is maybe more advanced but you could look at their website and see if it's something that would work for you, there may already be a chapter in your area.

 

[RoninB4]

-It's a good idea in concept, the reality is loaded with potentially unintended consequences. People you barely know coming to your house and using your shop. Aside from the liability aspect, what would you know about their character and/or experience with shop equipment? How trustworthy are they not to "redistribute" what you have when they have so little? Will they have the same regard for your equipment as you do or will they use it in a careless manner? Robust machinery may be made of metal but it can still be damaged with ham-fisted operations that exceed the design limitations or the common sense from experience. G00 (G code) can have bad consequences when the path isn't clear. Lifts can be dangerously unsupported. Can they be trusted not to burn up cutters from excessive spindle speeds or to control the debris stream of grinding swarf that scatters across your shop? Will you want to be there to supervise? There's machinery and instruments I don't trust anybody else to use except me. Even an experienced, conscientious individual can have an "oops" due to unfamiliarity with the equipment. Perhaps an exchange of time-in-process per equipment used (equipment owner does the work) might be a better venue than an open door to being treated like a rented mule. Wish you were local to me, we could work something out.

 

[tbirkey214]

There's probably a woodworking cooperative nearby if you google it.

I do mostly steel, and most guys doing it have shops. There is a makerspace close though

 

[tbirkey214]

This is in Carrollton

Dallas Makerspace – A Community Workshop

dallasmakerspace.org

$72/month. You do not have to pay annual. I would poke around there to see if you can find the proper help/equipment before joining. No need to reinvent the wheel so to speak . I'm way over here on the leftist Coast so no help to you I'm afraid. Good luck!

The point is to have a large group of guys that dont charge. They dont have anything special that I dont have for machining or fab

 

[tbirkey214]

I bet if you priced out the insurance you should have for this, the idea would die off and you'd buy the tubing bender instead.

Unless you want to invite people into your home for free to use tools and hope that your homeowners carrier covers you.

Insurance? This is for free, it would be like a club. This isnt for you to build a racecar in my garage, but if you needed a couple bends I could help out.

 

[tbirkey214]

-It's a good idea in concept, the reality is loaded with potentially unintended consequences. People you barely know coming to your house and using your shop. Aside from the liability aspect, what would you know about their character and/or experience with shop equipment? How trustworthy are they not to "redistribute" what you have when they have so little? Will they have the same regard for your equipment as you do or will they use it in a careless manner? Robust machinery may be made of metal but it can still be damaged with ham-fisted operations that exceed the design limitations or the common sense from experience. G00 (G code) can have bad consequences when the path isn't clear. Lifts can be dangerously unsupported. Can they be trusted not to burn up cutters from excessive spindle speeds or to control the debris stream of grinding swarf that scatters across your shop? Will you want to be there to supervise? There's machinery and instruments I don't trust anybody else to use except me. Even an experienced, conscientious individual can have an "oops" due to unfamiliarity with the equipment. Perhaps an exchange of time-in-process per equipment used (equipment owner does the work) might be a better venue than an open door to being treated like a rented mule. Wish you were local to me, we could work something out.

I have a 10 ton mechanical punch, and if a guy needed a couple holes in a baseplate, I would just do it for him. In my mind the guy with the stuff would just do it for the guy over the course of an hour of bullshiting and he would be on his way.

I get the feeling yall are thinking more of "i left the garage open, head in there and jump on my lathe and let me know when your gone"...

I wouldn't expect anybody to be a *****, it's just a way to get guys linked up who can help eachother out. The younger guys in my neighborhood dont even have mitre saws and are always asking for stuff, it could be as simple as a guy needing a couple cuts for his dog step ladder project.

 

[mike93lx]

Insurance? This is for free, it would be like a club. This isnt for you to build a racecar in my garage, but if you needed a couple bends I could help out.

So inviting random people into your home to use tools? Showing them what you own, how it is secured and then opening up risk of injury? I willingly share my tools with friends, much more than many people on this board, and could never imagine doing something like this. Far too risky.

I appreciate the idea behind it, but this sounds like a nightmare. One injury ruins everything and expecting people to not be morons doesn't stop them from people. Smart people get hurt too

 

[tbirkey214]

So inviting random people into your home to use tools? Showing them what you own, how it is secured and then opening up risk of injury? I willingly share my tools with friends, much more than many people on this board, and could never imagine doing something like this. Far too risky.

I appreciate the idea behind it, but this sounds like a nightmare. One injury ruins everything and expecting people to not be morons doesn't stop them from people. Smart people get hurt too

This is way overthinking this.

 

[mike93lx]

This is way overthinking this.

Good luck. Hope it goes great

 

[joe_padavano]

This is way overthinking this.

Sorry, but do you live in today's world? Yeah, you have good intentions, and 99% of the people you engage with will be fine, but there's always the one. Somebody gets hurt using your machines and all hell breaks loose. Do you plan to screen users to ensure they have correct skills, or do you plan to offer training first? Do you have a lawyer to draw up a legally binding release of liability? (Hint, nearly all of these can be broken). By the way, it's not the users I'm worried about, it's their families who will come after you. Research the history of communal auto repair facilities where you pay to use their tools and facilities. Pretty much every one of them shuts down. This is a classic case of no good deed goes unpunished.

 

[RoninB4]

I have a 10 ton mechanical punch,

-As a die maker for a few decades I'm familiar with punch press operation....and witnessed more than a few injuries.

and if a guy needed a couple holes in a baseplate, I would just do it for him. In my mind the guy with the stuff would just do it for the guy over the course of an hour of bullshiting and he would be on his way.

-That would likely be the safest way to do things, not only for the humans but also for your shop equipment.

I get the feeling yall are thinking more of "i left the garage open, head in there and jump on my lathe and let me know when your gone"...

-I don't know about others but I never considered the scenario of you NOT being there. Even being there it only takes one moment of inattention or poor judgement for bad things to happen. When things go bad it happens all too fast.

I wouldn't expect anybody to be a *****, it's just a way to get guys linked up who can help eachother out.

-It doesn't take a *****, even experienced people have accidents now and then. If you consider the above postings from the collective to be overthinking it then you do as you wish. You've been advised and I wish you good luck.

 

[Sweetcorn]

This is way overthinking this.

I disagree. We live in an extremely litigious world now.

I get where you are coming from and your good-hearted intent behind it, but it doesn't change the fact that most people are morons and will become a headache in short order. People who have lots of tools and skills are generally pretty good and reasonable people to collaborate with. People without those things usually haven't gone through the painstaking process of acquiring all of that, so they don't treat it with the respect it deserves.

I'm very thankful that I have an over the top shop setup and don't borrow anything from anyone. That said, I can't tell you how many people I know that are just one sided leeches. Always always always wanting favors, "let me have this piece of steel, let me borrow this tool, can you spend 10 hours of your shop time to save me 15 bucks" etc.

Now I will say I have some friends that are absolutely welcome in my place anytime they want to be there, as I am in theirs. Setups like you are talking about would be far more successful limiting it to an established friend group and not random people who join a club.

Am I a little cynical? Sure, but it's for good reason.

 

[bdbecker]

If you wanted to pull something like this off, it'd have to be some sort of a co-op type format where you guys could help each other using your own tools, but at an agreed upon rate. Something like time and material cost where you'd charge something like $30/hour for labor plus whatever the material cost is. If someone provides their own material, then it's just labor. That'd still be cheaper than taking it to a commercial shop, but still keep things "even" between the participants.

 

[CMB41]

The point is to have a large group of guys that dont charge. They dont have anything special that I dont have for machining or fab

I hear ya. What I was thinking was if they had something specific that you needed (“ check it out before you pay”) then it might be an option. So if they had a 2” tube die that you referenced, it might be easier and safer to use it in a place like this. If it’s not for you- that’s cool. I have used an additive cnc maching at a place near me. 150K machine access for $125/ month + materials. Limited hours, access, etc but still way cheaper than jobbing it out. Good luck!

 

[OccupantRJ]

There is a group of ten of us who do this type workshop thing, basically a barter system, but the key factor is that I am friends with all of them, and there is trust involved between us. Some of them do not know each other, but I generally act as the “broker” to connect needs with supply or getting it done. They all do or supply things for me and each other in return. If “A” needs aluminum welded I take him to “B”. If “B” needs gun repair, then I take him to “D”. If “F” needs something bead blasted or machined, I do it, etc. The general acknowledgement is that it will be done for free if feasible, but if not, it will be at a low as possible cost to cover materials and such. These are all workshop hobby guys who appreciate having access to various skill sets and facilities. Ages in the group range from 43 to 75 and I have been friends with four of them for 50+ years. Without the ties of a trusted group the freeloaders will be glad to use and sue you.

 

[tbirkey214]

I disagree. We live in an extremely litigious world now.

I get where you are coming from and your good-hearted intent behind it, but it doesn't change the fact that most people are morons and will become a headache in short order. People who have lots of tools and skills are generally pretty good and reasonable people to collaborate with. People without those things usually haven't gone through the painstaking process of acquiring all of that, so they don't treat it with the respect it deserves.

I'm very thankful that I have an over the top shop setup and don't borrow anything from anyone. That said, I can't tell you how many people I know that are just one sided leeches. Always always always wanting favors, "let me have this piece of steel, let me borrow this tool, can you spend 10 hours of your shop time to save me 15 bucks" etc.

Now I will say I have some friends that are absolutely welcome in my place anytime they want to be there, as I am in theirs. Setups like you are talking about would be far more successful limiting it to an established friend group and not random people who join a club.

Am I a little cynical? Sure, but it's for good reason.

Il gonna step further and say that most of the time i dont even want friends because it's just a way to give an acquaintance a longer period of time to screw you. I dont want friends i just want to barely know some ok people with tools. Come over for half an hour and I'll 3d print your bushing and I'll come over for a half hour and you can roll my tubing and then we can be done.

About the litigeous thing... I dont let the way of the world change the way i want to live

 

[tbirkey214]

If you wanted to pull something like this off, it'd have to be some sort of a co-op type format where you guys could help each other using your own tools, but at an agreed upon rate. Something like time and material cost where you'd charge something like $30/hour for labor plus whatever the material cost is. If someone provides their own material, then it's just labor. That'd still be cheaper than taking it to a commercial shop, but still keep things "even" between the participants.

I feel like that's a reasonable way to do it. It seems like most people here are thinking that you would come and use my stuff, but really you'd come and I do that thing for you and then you would leave so it kind of be the same. Maybe have it to where people can post up on something what they need to do, and whoever's free and feels like dealing with somebody can offer for them to come over

Me and all my buddies back where I moved from I'll have high quality tools so it was nice to be able to pay your buddy 300 bucks for a Saturday's worth of work, instead of paying a fabrication shop $1,000 to do the same thing

 

[tbirkey214]

I hear ya. What I was thinking was if they had something specific that you needed (“ check it out before you pay”) then it might be an option. So if they had a 2” tube die that you referenced, it might be easier and safer to use it in a place like this. If it’s not for you- that’s cool. I have used an additive cnc maching at a place near me. 150K machine access for $125/ month + materials. Limited hours, access, etc but still way cheaper than jobbing it out. Good luck!

Ive been to two differant makerspaces in two states, and the metalworking equipment is always very lacking.

 

[tbirkey214]

There is a group of ten of us who do this type workshop thing, basically a barter system, but the key factor is that I am friends with all of them, and there is trust involved between us. Some of them do not know each other, but I generally act as the “broker” to connect needs with supply or getting it done. They all do or supply things for me and each other in return. If “A” needs aluminum welded I take him to “B”. If “B” needs gun repair, then I take him to “D”. If “F” needs something bead blasted or machined, I do it, etc. The general acknowledgement is that it will be done for free if feasible, but if not, it will be at a low as possible cost to cover materials and such. These are all workshop hobby guys who appreciate having access to various skill sets and facilities. Ages in the group range from 43 to 75 and I have been friends with four of them for 50+ years. Without the ties of a trusted group the freeloaders will be glad to use and sue you.

Okay think about this, because my big dilemma is I just moved here and I don't enjoy going out and meeting people but I could see a type posting board where people could say hey look this is what I need and this is about what I'm willing to pay and then look at all be a section where guys just list the specialty type tools they have and people could contact them and they can work something out. The biggest thing for me with my tools and I'm sure you guys too is that we all like very nice tools which cost a lot of money. This is a way for the home hobby guy to be able to buy something that cost five grand and be able to make a little money on it. The only way I've ever been able to support my habit is by flipping and trading or else I'd be in a garage with a hacksaw and a hammer

 

[RoninB4]

Okay think about this, because my big dilemma is I just moved here and I don't enjoy going out and meeting people

-You could start by stating where you live, perhaps some of us are nearby. We don't even have to be friends......

 

[Aaron_W]

-You could start by stating where you live, perhaps some of us are nearby. We don't even have to be friends......

I am lucky enough to be involved with a group like this and that is exactly how it started. Just a few the guys on a website who realized they lived within an hour of two of each other and decided to meet up a couple times a year at each other shops. Slowly it grew to include some friends, coworkers etc of that initial group.

It is really nice to be able to borrow a once in a blue moon tool, or get help from someone who has more experience on a project.
It has also provided a good opportunity for buying / selling without the hassle / risk of CL, FBMP etc, as there are people at all stages of shop development from initial acquisition to late stage downsizing. Not only actual group members but also extended "family" like the neighbor down the street selling or looking for tools.

There is a certain amount of expecting other members to screen their potential applicants. Nobody wants to be the guy that invited the local crackhead.

 

[tbirkey214]

-You could start by stating where you live, perhaps some of us are nearby. We don't even have to be friends......

It says dallas texas in post

 

[tbirkey214]

I am lucky enough to be involved with a group like this and that is exactly how it started. Just a few the guys on a website who realized they lived within an hour of two of each other and decided to meet up a couple times a year at each other shops. Slowly it grew to include some friends, coworkers etc of that initial group.

It is really nice to be able to borrow a once in a blue moon tool, or get help from someone who has more experience on a project.
It has also provided a good opportunity for buying / selling without the hassle / risk of CL, FBMP etc, as there are people at all stages of shop development from initial acquisition to late stage downsizing. Not only actual group members but also extended "family" like the neighbor down the street selling or looking for tools.

There is a certain amount of expecting other members to screen their potential applicants. Nobody wants to be the guy that invited the local crackhead.

Well then let this be the beginning...
Who's out in DFW area????!!!
Im in Rockwall and I have...

Lathe (almost operational)
Powered slip roll
Mig, tig, stick
Cold saw
Punch press (now has power but I have 3 milk crates i dies I need to sort)
Blasting cabinet
3 phase rotary converter on wheels

 

[RoninB4]

It says dallas texas in post

-Ooops, my oversight

 

[Whitworth]

I don't see this working out well for the OP.
There's always going to be an imbalance of doers and takers. Who's going to pay for all the tooling for your lathe, press and cold saw?

I can see someone showing up with a bunch of mystery metal asking for a few holes punched out which turns out to dozens of holes. Die gets eaten up quickly, dude leaves without as much as a thank you. Dies are expensive. And the time, too.

I worked in a bank when I was young and we did various free courtesies for the customers. Photocopying, dropping off their mail, helping fill out government forms. (Alot were old and couldn't read English well). Had to stop because a handful of kooks took advantage of the policy. One old kook I remember would show up with a bag of garbage pencils expecting us to sharpen them. Yuck !

 

[Aaron_W]

I don't see this working out well for the OP.
There's always going to be an imbalance of doers and takers. Who's going to pay for all the tooling for your lathe, press and cold saw?

I can see someone showing up with a bunch of mystery metal asking for a few holes punched out which turns out to dozens of holes. Die gets eaten up quickly, dude leaves without as much as a thank you. Dies are expensive. And the time, too.

I worked in a bank when I was young and we did various free courtesies for the customers. Photocopying, dropping off their mail, helping fill out government forms. (Alot were old and couldn't read English well). Had to stop because a handful of kooks took advantage of the policy. One old kook I remember would show up with a bag of garbage pencils expecting us to sharpen them. Yuck !

The idea is to round up a group of like minded people with different skills and tools. Ideally you end up with access to a machinist, welder, tin knocker, wood worker, plumber, mechanic, body guy etc who can then trade knowledge and access to equipment.

If all you get is one guy with tools and a bunch of leeches than yeah, its not going to end well.

 

[RalphInCA]

So many negative people.

 

[tbirkey214]

So many negative people.

Jeez yes

 

[tbirkey214]

The idea is to round up a group of like minded people with different skills and tools. Ideally you end up with access to a machinist, welder, tin knocker, wood worker, plumber, mechanic, body guy etc who can then trade knowledge and access to equipment.

If all you get is one guy with tools and a bunch of leeches than yeah, its not going to end well.

That might work for some people. Im new in this town so meeti g people isnt that bad because I could get turned on to other people and things. Some guys like to help out, but also guys with stuff could also charge.

Say like if someone wanted a couple holes punched he could come over and be out in half an hour with most of that bullshitting, and another guy might want 50, and I would say sure, give me 2 bucks per hole

 

[tbirkey214]

Ive got some good ideas from here and some decent concerns... but since writing this i have really been struggling with work, and with the response on here being far less stoked than I thought, im gonna start a small job shop that geared towards guys who do weekend projects or other home fabricators that need specific stuff for their projects. This could be nice cold saw cuts or some brackets for a guy who has a little beater welderbox and wants to do a small project, or another more serious fabricator that needs a couple tubing bends for his headache rack or something, but it could also be smaller projects that larger job shops wouldn't bother with, charge crazy money for, or put on a 2 week wait.

For these past couple weeks I've started to find out that in trying to get my tubing bent, that nobody is interested in making anything under 100 bucks... those jobs just dont pay and I get it.

I would be fine with making 15 bucks to make 4 cuts on some tubing for a guy that needs a frame for something.

AND Im going to start a local FB page hosted by my company that sponsors tool swaps, tool services, and hooking guys up with guys who want to help eachother in whatever way. We could have a directory of who does what. Im working on a website tonight and I'll get back and post some updates on this.

This way I figure either one of these works, then move forward with that... either make some cash or get hooked up with like-minded guys.

IM IN EAST DALLAS IF ANYONE IS INTERESTED

 

[tbirkey214]

Made a website and a Facebook group today to support the business and the club, trying to figure out ways how to get the word out. Here's a link to the website and the Dallas Collective group. Also yes I know there is a typo down at the bottom of my website but I can't edit it on my phone and I'm not home right now.

Home

What we do, and for who... The Little Job Shop was made for the average guy and smaller fab shops who need a little help with their own projects, whether that be his needing of the welding portion of a project done, just some material cut on a high tolerance saw, or even just a bracket or two made

sites.google.com

The Home Crafstman Collective | Rockwall TX

The Home Crafstman Collective, Rockwall. 2 likes. Tool swap, guys helping guys, and unique services in the Dallas Texas area - Sponsored and created by The Little Job Shop 520 551 3277

www.facebook.com

 

[e015475]

I just moved here and I don't enjoy going out and meeting people - I think this is the crux of your issue.

I've been a member of an informal 'tool exchange' for a number of years. Welders, lathes, mills, tube benders, paint guns, lifts, cherry pickers etc. In fact, a few of my tools are at friend's houses and I go there to use them. No money ever changed hands but anything broken was promptly replaced. Most of the opportunities to borrow/loan tools would come with visits to other friend's shops to see what they were up to. It seemed like for years I'd spend a Saturday morning or two a month visiting friends to see how their projects were going, often leaving with a tool in my hand or a commitmet to loan/help with somebody elses project.

I applaude your effort with the Little Job Shop and FB pages - maybe that's just the modern version of stopping by to see what someone with an interesting project is up to.

 

[tbirkey214]

I just moved here and I don't enjoy going out and meeting people - I think this is the crux of your issue.

I've been a member of an informal 'tool exchange' for a number of years. Welders, lathes, mills, tube benders, paint guns, lifts, cherry pickers etc. In fact, a few of my tools are at friend's houses and I go there to use them. No money ever changed hands but anything broken was promptly replaced. Most of the opportunities to borrow/loan tools would come with visits to other friend's shops to see what they were up to. It seemed like for years I'd spend a Saturday morning or two a month visiting friends to see how their projects were going, often leaving with a tool in my hand or a commitmet to loan/help with somebody elses project.

I applaude your effort with the Little Job Shop and FB pages - maybe that's just the modern version of stopping by to see what someone with an interesting project is up to.

Its the digital age my man. I hardly have time for myself, let's make it quick for the 99 percent of people and the 1 percent will come around eventually.

 

[tbirkey214]

This thread has just about resolved itself, I wanted to leave the website link and a video explaining us and the club for the dallas area here to cap this off. Thanks again everyone!

What we came up with-

Our website, which also has the FB link-

Home

What we do, and for who... The Little Job Shop was made for the average guy and smaller fab shops who need a little help with their own projects, whether that be his needing of the welding portion of a project done, just some material cut on a high tolerance saw, or even just a bracket or two made

sites.google.com